Green Business

Written by Community Sustainability Advisory Committee (CSAC) Member Shilpi Goel

Every day, I see the Earth on fire. Every day, I hear about the ice caps melting and sea levels rising. On Mother Earth, our only home, every person contributes four pounds of trash every day. We fill our planet with poisonous material and throw the rest into the ocean. As we all know, by 2050, we will have more plastic in the oceans than fish. I can’t control the actions of others, the government, or companies, but I want to do as much as possible to help. At home, I decided to use Ridwell, a recycling service that reuses some things and properly recycles others, and this has made the amount of landfill our household generates much smaller.

I also run a business, and seeing two 33-gallon bags full of trash daily still bothered me. I decided to do something about it. I contacted San Mateo County to learn more about their Green Business Program. Bryton Mays, a bilingual sustainability consultant of the Green Business Program, visited my business. He advised me on the specific actions I could take to make my salon a first-tier green business.

First, we changed the laundry detergent and cleaning supplies. We started using a chemical-free green detergent and purchased Ecos from Costco. Some other brands we considered were Blueland and True Earth. He also asked me to change some lights to LEDs to be more energy efficient. We changed new faucets to control the water flow. He checked if my washer, dryer, and other electrical appliances were energy-efficient. Then, we called Rethink Waste to get some small recycling bins for the salon. I also created a separate compost bin and taught my employees to throw food and other compostable materials in there instead of the trash. I also wanted to reduce the use of plastic gloves, and Brian suggested biodegradable gloves. I now use Showa gloves, which naturally biodegrade in a few years.

With just a few small changes, my business became certified as the first tier of green businesses in California and the first in Foster City. It was very easy to become a green business, and now, I will be working to get second-tier certified. I am so glad I could make just a few minor changes and decrease my impact on climate change at home and work.

Each of us can make a difference.  Whether at home, school, work, hosting special events, or entertaining, there are many opportunities to make changes when you look through the lens of sustainability.